Falling victim to a data breach can be devastating for anybody but, it can have a particularly harmful impact on those with special needs. In this article, we'll look at some of the ways in which a data breach may affect a special needs individual.
For most people, becoming a victim of a data breach can be a worry and can lead to a person having to take measures to secure accounts and to re-examine their digital presence.
While this is a nuisance, it doesn't usually have long reaching effects, however, data breaches involving children with special educational needs can be severely impacted by such a breach. In this article, we'll take a look at the ways in which a data breach can impact special needs victims.
What is a Data Breach?
Whenever we shop online or sign up to a website, we are handing over our personal data, but it doesn't just stop there. Doctors, hospitals and schools also collect and store a huge amount of personal data. When a company or organisation stores data, it has a responsibility to make sure that that data is secure.
A data breach occurs when that data is compromised; either by accidental sharing or by cybercrimes such as hacking. This can mean that there is a danger of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands which can be harmful to both the company and its customers / users.
The Impact on Special Needs Individuals
The term 'special needs' refers to children who are born with a condition such as Down's syndrome and, as such, need a little extra help in order to achieve everyday tasks including education.
A data breach can impact on special needs individuals in a number of ways, including:
1. Financial Loss
As with anybody who is affected by a data breach, special needs people can suffer financial losses. This can impact greatly on their ability to go about their daily lives, for example, being unable to travel to school or acquire the tools that they need to assist them.
2. Increase Risk of Discrimination
Special needs individuals are, unfortunately, often subject to discrimination in day to day life and, when a data breach occurs, the fact that information about his or her condition may be shared widely, can greatly increase the risk of discrimination.
3. Risk of Harassment and Grooming
When a data breach occurs, personal information can be leaked and, this will, in many cases, include contact details such as email addresses.
This can lead to the individual becoming at risk of grooming or harassment as many vulnerable people with special needs are not able to spot the warning signs that they may be speaking with an online predator.
4. Identity Theft
When a data breach occurs, it will often give dishonest people access to a large amount of information including personal information such as date of birth and contact details as well as medical and financial information.
This can lead to a very real danger of identity theft whereby a criminal may be able to acquire credit and cash by impersonating the special needs individual.
5. Physical Threat
In some cases, a data breach means that, among other information, the special needs individual's home address and / or where they go to school is shared. For a vulnerable person, this can mean a risk of physical harm such as assault or abduction.
6. Psychological Damage
Knowing that your data has been breached and possibly shared with a large number of people can be extremely stressful for anybody. However, it can be even more so for a special needs person who may not be able to grasp the situation and may therefore worry that they may be in danger.
7. Credit Rating
When a data breach results in a financial impact for a special needs individual, the knock on effect may be that he or she may struggle to get credit in the future - even though the breach happened through no fault of their own.
For someone with special needs, this can have a direct impact on his or her ability to live a reasonably independent life.
8. Stressful Legal Actions
When a data breach has been identified and reported to the police, the special needs individual may be required to give evidence either to the police or to a court. This can be extremely stressful as well as difficult to understand for the individual involved.
What to do in the Event of a Data Breach
If you feel that you, or a loved one with special needs, has been a victim of a data breach, or you've received notification of this fact, it's important to act quickly. Where possible, take screenshots and gather any other evidence which may help your case and present this to the police.
You will also want to get in touch with a good solicitor with experience in cybercrime and data breaches to help you to navigate this often-complex crime. You should also contact any financial organisations such as banks to inform them of the breach.
Moving on from a data breach...
In 2022, data protection is taken incredibly seriously and, as such, should always be reported to the police. Being a victim of a data breach can be extremely upsetting for anybody but, particularly for those with special needs and you may want to consider specialist help to get through this difficult time.
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